Lightning Strikes
by Hrabdos
Summary: Barry and Cisco are college roommates who secretly operate Team Flash. The two go to a party and Barry meets an interesting young woman named Kara. Please let me know what you think!
1. Chapter 1

Barry Allen paced in his apartment, staring down at Central City. It was his home, had been for 20 years. When his father was sent to prison, he moved with Joe and Iris, but he didn't just have the two of them to keep him company. Central City was there for him too, the twisting streets and tall buildings protecting him from...honestly, he wasn't sure. But he felt safe, and that was all that mattered. So when it came time to pick colleges, he knew there was only one place he wanted to go. CCU. Which is where he was now, a student in their Forensic Science department. He spent the better part of his college career focused solely on getting his father out. Proving his innocence.

But after 3 years in college, he wasn't any closer to helping his father.

"Barry!" yelled Cisco, his roommate. Cisco was a cool guy, and Barry was happy to call him a friend.

"What is it?"

"Two things. One, Gypsy is throwing a party tonight, and we are both going. Papa gotsta get his freak on!"

"Dude. You know I've got my paper on blood spatter as it pertains to..."

"I can't believe you. You said you would help me win her over, but you have missed every party, dance, or even mildly social gathering for 2 years! It's unhealthy, and it worries me. And I'm not one of those people who looks good worried."

Barry sighed. "What was two?"

Cisco's face turned a bright red. "Armed Robbery at the Central City Bank."

"Seriously? Why didn't you lead with that?" Barry pushed past him, throwing open the door to his room. He unlocked his closet, and grabbed the tuxedo bag which housed his suit. With a gust of wind and a flash of light, Barry was gone.

"We are SO not done talking about this!" Cisco shouted, more to himself than anything. He went to his own room, a mess of computer parts and sketches, and put on a radio headset. "Barry, are you reading me?"

"Loud and clear!" Barry hollered as he sped past stationary-looking cars and statuesque pedestrians. Central City Bank was maybe a twenty minute walk, so Barry could get there in maybe 6 seconds. 4, if he pushed himself. As he pulled into the bank, he quickly analyzed the scene. Three gunmen, one on the counter, two on either side. About 5 patrons on the ground. _This shouldn't take 5 seconds,_ he thought.

Barry ran over to them, swiping their guns and disassembling them. 1.

He consolidated the bank customers, and helped them all outside. 2.

He sped to tie up the three men. 3.

Holding each by the scruff of the neck, he rushes them to the nearest squad car. 4. _New High Score!_

Money wasn't always easy to come by, so when Barry heard about an internship to work at S.T.A.R Labs, with the great Harrison Wells, he jumped at the chance. Helping with the particle accelerator, alongside Cisco, was an incredible scientific experience. One night, after everyone went home, Barry was working on a personal design to show his hero, when he was struck by a bolt of lightning. After 9 days in a coma, Barry found he had extraordinary abilities. He was fast! He could defy the laws of physics! So, with the help of his best friend, Barry became The Flash, saving people with his newfound gifts.

"I really don't want to do this."

Barry and Cisco stood outside a large, red-brick apartment building, the summer sun setting in the distance.

"Come on! You promised!" Shouted Cisco.

"No, I stopped a bank robbery. You promised for me."

"Well, you're a man of my word. Don't make you a liar!"

"You mean _you_ a liar."

"That's what I said," Cisco retorted, pushing forward to the door of Gypsy's apartment. The pounding of electronic music, the cheers of the inebriated, this was what issued from the doorway as Gypsy opened it, eyeing Cisco up.

"Hey, Francisco!" She chittered. "It's so good to see you! Who's your friend?"

Cisco smiled. "Hey, Gypsy! This is Barry, my roommate."

"How are you?" Asked Barry. He extended for a handshake, but was engulfed in a hug he wasn't expecting. Cisco always described Gypsy as guarded and aloof. He had difficulty seeing that.

"It's so good to meet you! Francisco has told me all about you! Come in, come in!" Gypsy waved them in. The party was in full swing; people danced in a large open space in the living room, there was a pseudo-bar set up in the back, and a side room for quiet conversation and drinking. The place wasn't saturated with people. Clearly, this was a gathering for close friends, and Barry all of a sudden felt very awkward and shy.

"I'm going to kill you," Barry whispered to Cisco. "I don't know anyone here!"

"Chill out! Just stay put for 20 minutes, and you can leave. Alright? Does that seem fair?"

Barry sighed. "Fine." He grabbed a solo cup and sat on the couch, which had been pushed onto the side of the wall. He saw groups of people talking and dancing, but it didn't seem like anyone wanted to talk to him, so Barry just sipped a beer and watched the nearby social interaction. After 20 minutes exactly, Barry tried to find Cisco, but he had been captured by the party-beast. He sent Cisco a text, and pushed towards the door. He opened the door, turned a corner-

"OW!" a young woman shouted. Barry found himself on the ground, rubbing his head. Next to him, a book and a phone lay haphazardly on the ground.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry," said Barry, "I wasn't looking where I was going."

"No! It's totally my fault! I'm such a klutz!" shot back the woman's voice. Barry reached for her book as she checked her phone for cracks.

"Are you okay?" asked Barry.

"Yeah! Totally fine. I've got a thick head, or so I've-"

Their eyes met. She had beautiful blue eyes, rosy lips, and wavy blonde hair. But she was more than conventionally beautiful. Her smile was brighter than the sun, and when she looked at you, she clearly gave you her full attention.

"H-hi," said Barry.

"Hi! I'm Kara!"

"Barry. Barry Allen."

"Nice to meet you, Barry Barry Allen." She smiled impishly. "Are you leaving?"

It took him a second to register what she said. "Uh...no! Nope. Not leaving. Well, maybe. Haven't decided yet. What about you, are you leaving?"

She chuckled. "Well, I've been here about 10 seconds, and I spent 8 on the ground, so I think I'll stick around. Party has to get better from that, right?"

"I'd hope so!" Barry said, with a little too much enthusiasm. He cleared his throat.

"Well...I'll see you around, Barry Barry Allen." Kara said, inching past him to the door.

"Yeah! I'm sure I'll see you, Kara...?" Barry turned to find her, but she was gone.

 _What the hell was that? Idiot._ Barry was about to race off again, when the door opened. Kara returned, clutching a piece of paper.

"I'm sure I'll see you around, because I'm sure you'll call me. Can you handle that?" she said.

"Uh...Yeah! Yeah, I'll uh... I'll call you tomorrow?"

"Sounds good!" She smiled and shoved the paper in his direction.

 _Kara_

072-223-8686

xo

"Great! I'll call you!"

"That is what we agreed upon!" She waved to him, and returned to the house. Barry was confused, but mostly really excited. He hadn't really be close to anyone for a while, so it felt good to have a prospect out there. He ran as fast as he could, greeting his morning patrol with incredible vigor.

 **Hey! This is my first fic! Tell me what you think, message me here or on my tumblr, I'm alcubiere on tumblr. Let me know what you think should happen next! Thanks so much for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

Barry sat on his couch, staring at a dark cell phone.

 _Just call her,_ he thought. _She literally told you to. You shouldn't be nervous._

He kept staring.

Just then, Cisco burst through the front door, and Barry jumped as if he were up to something.

"Are you still staring at that goddamn cell phone?" asked Cisco, walking towards him.

"Look, I'm nervous, okay! It's been a long time since my last date, and I'm kinda freaking out!" said Barry. With that, Cisco grabbed the phone.

"My passcode is..."

"I know it," mumbled Cisco, with the phone already to his ear. "It's ringing." Barry snatched the phone back, just in time to hear Kara's voice.

"Hello?"

Barry held back a moment before exclaiming, "Hey! It's, uh, Barry! Allen!" _Smooth_. Kara laughed softly.

"Oh! From the party, right?"

"Yeah, that's me." Barry started pacing, while Cisco clutched the back of the couch like a koala, listening intently. "How's your day going?"

"Uh, I'm doing okay. My sister has to leave town for work, so she and I had breakfast this morning. You?"

"I've been..." Barry paused as he realized that he had basically woken up, taken a shower, got dressed, and then stared at his phone for about 3 hours. "...busy. I was wondering if you wanted to maybe grab a coffee later?" He held his breath, bracing himself.

"Absolutely! I have a few errands to run, but how about 3?"

His eyes lit up. Cisco leapt the couch, tripping and falling before nearly tackling Barry. "OOPH! Uh, yeah! 3 should be fine! Do you know where CC Jitters is?"

"Oh, totally! I love Jitters!"

"Great! I'll see you there!"

"It's a date!" Kara and Barry exchanged good-byes. Cisco stared at him, mouth ajar.

"DUDE!"

"I know!" said Barry.

"DUDE! That is how it's freaking done!" Cisco slapped him on the back.

"Thanks, man," Barry said. He looked at the ground and couldn't help but smile to himself.

"You really deserve this, man. I know ever since the whole super speed thing, your personal life has been all out of whack. It's good to see you so happy."

"Come on, Cisco. It's coffee, not my wedding day."

"Really? You gonna try to play coy with me? Like I didn't just watch that whole thing?" Cisco sounded almost offended. Barry chuckled, his mind racing.

Barry arrived an hour early, had three cups of coffee, and accidentally phased through his chair twice before Kara showed up. He was nervous; every time a person opened the door, he jumped. He tried to burn off some of his excess energy by running around the block 100 times, but that only made him sweat, so he ran back to his apartment, showered and changed, and ran to Jitters. As he contemplated going and getting another shirt, she walked in the door. Barry hadn't gotten a good look at her at the party, but she was very beautiful. She was wearing a blue sweater and a polka-dot shirt underneath. As she adjusted her glasses, Barry took three deep breaths, and said, "Kara!"

She turned to him, and once she located Barry, she gave him a big smile. _Wow._ Barry felt like a stupid cliche, but he felt her smile actually brighten the whole room. She strolled over to him, and laid her purse on the chair opposing him.

"Hi, Barry." He was kind of staring at her, and she blushed.

"Hi, Kara. You look incredible."

She chuckled."Really? I've been up since like 6, and I've been flying from appointment to appointment all day. Have you been waiting long?"

"No, not at all."

"Great! I'm going to grab a coffee, I'll be right back."

"I'll be left front," Barry said, and Kara snorted and giggled.

"I've never heard that one before!" She walked away, still laughing. Barry felt his phone buzz in his pocket. _**It's going pretty well so far.**_ _From Cisco?_ Barry responded, _**What do you mean?**_ Cisco typed for a while, and said, _**Look behind you.**_ When he turned around, Barry saw Cisco, in a gray hoodie, wearing sunglasses and a fake mustache, while he pretended to type on his laptop.

"Goddamnit."

Barry rushed over to the table, making a scoot-scoot motion with his hands.

"Leave. No. Go. Hate. Kill. Fight. Stab."

"Aw, come on, man," whined Cisco, "I just wanted to make sure my baby boy was doing okay." He waved as Kara returned to the table.

"Hi! It's Cisco, right?"

"That's me. I saw you at Gypsy's the other night, yeah?"

Kara's eyes lit up in recognition. "Yeah! That was fun. I really needed a break."

"Don't we all," Barry chimed in. Cisco turned and placed his computer and disguise into his bag.

"It was nice to see you," he said, "but I'm afraid I was just leaving."

"I didn't think I smelled THAT bad." Kara joked. Cisco shot Barry a look, as if to say that terrible jokes were a good sign. He gave his exit pleasantries, walked outside, and left, but not before mashing his face on the glass like Ralphie looking at a Red Rider BB Gun.

"He seems cool," Kara said, breaking a 10-second silence, which, for a speedster, felt like a lifetime. Barry smiled. "He is… something. He was definitely here to spy on us."

"I kinda guessed. What with the Groucho glasses."

"Actually, those were unrelated."

"Early Halloween celebration, or horrible disfigurement?"

"Weird kink, actually." They both stared for a moment, then bust out laughing. When they finally recovered, Barry recommended a short walk in the nearby park. Grabbing their things, they started over, the summer sun defeated by a cool breeze.

"So, are you a student?" Barry asked.

"Yup. Journalism. I actually just put up for an internship over at Catco."

"Wow. That's pretty major! Let me know how that goes."

"I will!" She smiled, as she gave a pebble a small kick. She almost seemed worried about hurting the pebble, which was odd, but not uncute.

"What made you want to be a journalist?" Barry continued.

"I have a cousin, he's a reporter," Kara explained. "Maybe you know him. Clark Kent? Of the Daily Planet?" Barry shrugged.

"I don't read the Planet much."

Kara looked up at the clouds for a moment. "He's the only other member of my biological family. My parents… they aren't around anymore. He made sure I had a good home, visited a lot, and he'd always tell me these stories of all the good he was doing with his job. I really admire him, and I guess I hope I can help people just like him." She blushed a little. "Sorry, I feel like I'm rambling."

"Not at all. I know what you mean. My mother, she died a long time ago. My dad is…" Barry had a little trouble getting the words out. "He's in jail for her murder. I started school to try and get him out; I'm a CSI major, I forgot to mention that. So I start, and I'm so focused on helping save him, I'm not eating, I'm barely sleeping, I'm skipping classes so I can work on experiments for other classes. I burnt myself out. Then, my foster dad picks me up for lunch, and I fall asleep in the middle of my Big Belly Burger. I'm talking face-first into my fries." They both chuckled softly at the image.

"So he sits me down in front of the news, and there's a story about some case, where a man was saved from the electric chair because there was conclusive DNA evidence that proved he didn't kill his wife. Joe-that's my foster dad's name, he looks at me, like all dads do." With that, Barry made a serious dad face.

"He says that doing what we do isn't like painting, or writing, or geology. Being a CSI means keeping innocent people alive. And that if lives hang in the balance, I owe those people my best self. So I promised him I'd take better care of myself." Barry was the one who looked embarrassed now. "And you thought you were a rambler."

"No, that was a great story! And…" Kara hesitated. "It's not a good thing… but I'm glad to meet someone who knows what it's like to live without their biological family. Everyone says you can tell them anything, but…"

"You can't, really." Barry continued. "I mean, if they knew all the things you were really thinking or feeling…"

"They would tell you not to think about it. Or to move on. Or to stop using it as an excuse," Kara finished. "Exactly." They both stood, realizing although they had started a peaceful walk in the park, they had stopped about 3 feet from the entrance for their entire conversation, and had finished all their coffee. What's worse, their conversation had taken a somewhat dark detour, which was exactly when Barry offered to walk Kara home. She accepted, and hooked her own arm around his. "Buddy system," she said.

By the time they had arrived at Kara's apartment, the two of them went through all sorts of favorites. Foods (Doughnuts, potstickers, and pizza), movies (a long arduous list of musicals), places (Barry mentioned his time at S.T.A.R. Labs, while Kara talked about a place called Argo he had never heard of), they had covered the entire getting-to-know-you spectrum.

"Well," said Kara, "this is my place." She gestured to a large brownstone building with blue shutters and a slightly dinged green door.

"Alrighty," Barry replied, pausing a moment to say, "I had a great time. I'd love to take you out again sometime. If you'd like."

"Nope. I had a horrible time, I hate you, and frankly, if I never see you again, it'll be too soon," Kara said, with a deadly straight face which cracked once she saw Barry's reaction. "I'm kidding! I had a great time. I would love to go out again." Her eyes flicked quickly towards his lips, then back to match his gaze.

"It's a date…" he trailed off, as their faces inched closer until the two embraced in a kiss. Barry's perception was always screwy when he was emotional, but it seemed as though that kiss went on forever, right until the moment it ended, where it seems to have gone by in a...well, he wasn't going to say.

"I'll call you."

Kara winked at him. "Not if I call you first." She slowly walked the steps up to the door, turned to look at him once more, then disappeared behind it. Just before Barry could walk away, she opened the door again, and said, "I'm sorry, that felt confusing. Let's just stick with the you-call-me plan." She smiled at him, and slammed the door.

Barry was on Cloud 9; he felt so good, he walked the whole way home, savoring every moment between her door and his, until he got home to see Cisco reheating Chinese.

"Hey, I'm sorry about the mustache thing, but I think it might be a real hit with the ladies. Seriously, you should take it on your next date. Assuming…?" Cisco gave Barry a meaningful look.

"It went well, Cisco. She's great. We have a lot in common, she's sweet, and a little self-conscious, but very funny. I'm seeing her again. For sure."

"That's my boy! Come eat with me. I left you the Pork Fried Rice, I know you like it."

The two young men ate Chinese food and talked, talked and ate Chinese food, for hours, until one or both of them decided that it was time to sleep. As they snoozed in their beds, they had no idea that a few blocks away, at Kara Danvers apartment, a young woman slipped on a red and blue outfit with a red S shield on the front, pushed open a window, and sped high into the night air.


	3. Chapter 3

"Do you have a reservation?"

Kara hesitated. After a drawn-out text conversation about where to eat, Barry had asked Kara to just meet him at his apartment. She didn't know what to expect, but Cisco in a maroon vest with gold buttons, his hair slicked back, and an oddly familiar fake moustache was not it.

"Um…?" She began to chuckle. "It might be under Allen?" Cisco checked a small leather book with only one name written in gigantic letters.

"Ah!" he cried. "Excellent timing, mademoiselle. The other half of your party only just arrived!" Cisco's words sat thick in the air, as he affected a French dialect. _Other half?_ As Cisco invited her in, Kara saw a small cafe table, a long white candle, two glasses, and on the other side, Barry Allen, dressed to the nines in a chestnut brown suit. He gave her a small wave, as though they were across a crowded dining room.

* * *

"God, this is impossible!" Barry griped as Cisco brushed his teeth.

"Wha' umpable?" Cisco inquired, his mouth still foaming.

"I'm trying to get together with Kara again, but she keeps talking about how the food is so much better in National City. I ask if she wants pizza, and she tells me about some brick-and-mortar in National with the best white pizza ever, but if you want it classic, you have to go down 3 blocks and get it from Donatello's, but it has to be the one with a cat, because there's two Donatello's, and the one without the cat is easily cleaner, but the pizza is way better at the other. We've gone back and forth like this since last night! I don't know what to do!"

Cisco peeked his head out of the bathroom and gave Barry a cock-eyed look. "Wha' dun' yuh'-"

"Spit, Cisco."

"PTHOO! Why don't you just get the food she likes?"

"Because National City is like 1,500 miles from here!"

"1,515 and some change."

"That's even farther!" Barry spat.

"Look, the fastest we've ever clocked you at was a little over Mach 2. Even half-assing it, you could get there in a little over an hour. Call ahead, get some cat hair pizza, maybe do some sightseeing, run back with plenty of time."

Barry sat, contemplating. "That…could work. But how would we keep the food warm?"

"If you give me, like, 15 minutes, we can hit my station in the Ap-Sci department, and I'll make you a heat lamp backpack."

"Band name."

Cisco thought for a second, then smiled. "Yeah."

* * *

The Flash stood on the outskirts of Central City, wearing a freshly spray-painted metal box, with two large yellow straps.

"Okay," said Cisco, "if this thing works, it should collect some of your run-off electricity to power itself. I've also been working on these for a few months." He pulled out a small orange bottle containing multi-colored capsules. "Food Pills. Hyper-dried and compressed protein supplements, should help you keep up your speed the whole way."

"That's pretty genius. How did you think of that?"

"It was definitely a moment of pure scientific genius and not even a little bit the result of Adult Swim's Naruto Marathon," Cisco quietly blushed.

"Either way," smiled Barry, "you've done good work, man! Thank you."

"It's cool, brother. Now, go, you've got a girl to impress."

With that, Barry pulled his cowl over his face, and in a blur of light and sound, he was a dot on the horizon.

* * *

Changing in a nearby alleyway, Barry noticed how different National City was from Central. National City had a shimmer to it; the buildings were new, with white and gold trim. The shrubbery was neat and orderly, the streets were clean and warm with sunlight. Central City wasn't dirty, not by a long shot, but it had a history. Part of its charm was the hodgepodge of old and new structures: it's unrelenting desire to be happy in spite of its uniquities. Barry liked how beautiful everything in National City was, but he got the impression that nothing there was permanent. If something was unnecessary or disliked, it didn't get a chance to improve before it was replaced.

Barry let the warm smell of fresh bread waft for a moment before stepping into Donatello's. It was a cozy place, the first one he'd seen in National City. Linoleum booths and a jukebox lined the walls, and a small counter was cluttered mostly by the fluffy butt of an orange tabby cat. As Barry ambled in, there was no one watching the counter, so he gave the cat a quick rub, then cleared his throat.

"Hello?"

A large man with patchy facial hair and a small scar on his nose waddled over to Barry.

"Welcome to Donatello's. Whaddaya want?" he coughed. _Could this be the famous Donatello?_

"Uh…I've got a pickup order. Barry."

The man gave a low guttural sound before turning to search. Just then, the tinkling of a small bell above the door rang.

"Donnie?"

Barry turned to see a dark-haired woman, wearing a maroon shirt. She wasn't that old, but she had these premature worry lines, like Joe; _I wonder if she's in law enforcement too?_

"Alex!" The man - Donatello - threw Barry's pizzas on the counter, bumping the cat off first. He then walked over to Alex and embraced her.

"What do I have to do to get you and that sister of yours to visit? My two best customers!"

Alex laughed. "You don't have to lie to me. She eats enough for the both of us. I'm actually going to see her for lunch! I've got a pickup."

"Ah, wonderful! Let me go get that!" Donatello walked outside of Barry's field of vision.

"Oh, wait…" Barry started, but the pizzaman was long gone.

"Sorry about that. Are you in a rush?" The woman, Alex, asked. Barry grabbed the back of his neck.

"Not really."

"My family has been coming here for a long time, we're regulars. You?"

"Oh, no. I'm just visiting from out of town. My girlfriend said this is the place to go for white pizza."

Alex's face lit up. "That's my sister's favorite too! Your girlfriend has good taste."

Barry smiled at her, as Donatello brought Alex's pizzas to the counter, and smacked his forehead. "Ah! I'm sorry, son. I got excited, and forgot to ring you up!"

"Oh, hey, it's no big deal…"

"Donnie, put this guy's food on my tab," Alex interrupted. Barry began to protest, but she shut him down. "I'm the reason your food is getting cold. Just take the free food, and make your girlfriend happy."

"Well, thanks."

"No problem. I'm Alex, by the way. Alex Danvers."

Time slowed. Barry turned and saw Donatello, frozen with one of his mitts running through his hair. Alex was stuck with her hand outstretched in friendship. _Danvers?_ he thought. _Kara mentioned a sister in National City. This couldn't be… her?_ He started to worry. _What if they talked about him? How would he explain him meeting his sister a thousand miles away? In fact, what was his plan to explain the pizzas to begin with?_ He shook his head, then took her hand.

"I'm Barrrrrrrrrrt. Bart. That's me." Barry mentally kicked himself for the terrible recovery.

"Nice to meet you, Bart." Alex said with a quizzical look on her face.

"Yeah, you too," Barry shot back quickly, grabbing the pizzas. "but I've really got to get moving. Thank you again!" He shouted as he backed out the door, jogging back to the alley he last hid in. _Jeez, that was close!_ He shoved the pizzas in his portable oven, then changed into his costume, and started running down the street. He was all set to get back to Central City, when he saw a small fleet of fire engines blaring their alarms. After a millisecond of inner turmoil, he ran atop a nearby building, dismounted his pack, then raced to the site of the fire.

* * *

Making sure he kept moving, Barry surveyed the building. It was small, maybe three floors, with a few windows blown out, and a roaring blaze peering through. Barry positioned himself at the back of the building, opened the door slowly to prevent a rush of oxygen, then checked each floor quickly. He didn't find anyone trapped inside, so he opened as many windows and doors as he could, then stood at the stoop of the stairs. People gasped as National City got its first glance at The Flash, pictures were taken and reporters tried to subvert the police barricade. Barry looked at the crowd, gave them a small salute, and took a runner's stance. In the blink of an eye, he started running circles around the building, creating a vortex, buffeting the first responders and sending ash everywhere. The Flash was a blip in a fury of flames and lightning, which seemed to pick up speed and only grow taller. _It's no good,_ thought Barry. _It's not fast enough. I can contain the blaze, but if I can't get the top moving faster, the top floor is going to keep burning._ He pushed himself harder and harder, but couldn't get more than a few inches.

"Look! Up in the sky!" someone shouted from the crowd. Barry turned, and saw a shock of red and blue, moving almost as fast as he was, streak toward the top part of the building.

"Supergirl!" Barry gasped. Swimming in his man-made tornado, he had trouble keeping an eye on her, but it seemed she understood perfectly; Supergirl matched his path as she flew over top, increasing her speed gradually, until they were neck and neck. What was already a powerful cyclone grew twice so in only a few minutes, and almost like magic, the flames seemed to shrink and poof out of existence. Once he knew the blaze was out, Barry sped away without meeting the public. _Bad enough that someone saw Barry Allen in National City, imagine if someone knew The Flash was in town at the exact same time._ He ran to the roof where his pack awaited him, took a quick breather, and popped a few of Cisco's Food Pills, which kind of tasted the way newspapers smell. After making sure he was rested enough, he started what was, for him, a leisurely jog back to Central City.

* * *

"You look lovely," Barry said, pulling a chair out for Kara.

"Thank you. So do you. What is all this?" Kara asked. Barry snapped his fingers, and with a vigor he rarely exhibited, he stood at attention.

"Oh, waiter?"

"Yes, sir?"

"I think we'll have the wine now." Cisco walked into the kitchen, while Barry took Kara's hands.

"Barry, this is…" Kara started.

"It's too much, I know. I almost wore my pajamas, maybe take the fancy edge off." He chuckled to himself, as his thumbs explored the backs of her hands.

"No, this is wonderful. Really." Kara gave him a sincere smile. "Not just the table setting. I… I mean spending time with you. Everything else in my life is so hectic, juggling my work and my family. It's nice to have someone to spend time with. I just thought you should know… being with you has meant a lot to me." She blushed and suddenly became fascinated by the angle of the fork on her napkin.

"I couldn't agree more," Barry whispered. "I feel like, for the first time in a long time, I can just slow down and be myself. You give me so much, more than I know I can put into words. So, thank you." Cisco brought out two glasses of a richly tinted white wine. Kara held her glass out.

"A toast."

Barry followed suit. "To a wonderful table setting."

The two spent a few minutes chatting about their days, until Cisco brought out two plates of pizza. Kara eyed her food with passion, and as she took her first bite, her eyes shot open. "This is Donatello's pizza!"

"Straight from Donatello himself," Barry chided.

"But-but how? His restaurant is halfway across the country!"

"I had a friend coming into town from National City, and he owed me a few favors. I remembered you said how good it was there, so I had him fly with some pizza." Barry looked at Cisco for approval, who shot him a slight nod. They both dug into their pizza, Kara still completely flabbergasted, until they were both full.

"Did you see, on the news? The Flash was seen in National City!" Kara proclaimed. Barry froze for a second, then cleared his throat.

"Yeah. I thought that was weird. He hasn't really been spotted outside Central City. I heard he put out a fire."

"He and Supergirl, yeah."

"Do you think they know each other?"

Kara tried to grab for her purse, then said as she looked away, "No, I doubt it. Hey, it's getting kind of late, I should get moving."

* * *

"Thank you, again. For everything."

Barry and Kara stood at the step of her apartment building once more. "Don't mention it," said Barry.

"I had a great time. And, um…"

"Yes?"

Kara blushed again. "Could I see you tomorrow?"

Barry returned her blush, and smiled. "Of course. You can see me anytime."

Kara looked at her feet. "Okay. How about lunch? I can make us something?"

"Sounds great."

The two stared at each other for a moment, before embracing in a long kiss, holding each other tightly, begging to not let go. When finally they released, he watched her climb the stairs delicately, and waited for her long flowing hair to finally disappear behind the door.

* * *

"I swear, Alex! I'd know Donatello's anywhere!" Kara paced the floor of her room, her phone to her ear.

"I just don't believe it. That plane ride would've been too long to keep any food hot," Alex retorted.

"Look, I don't know how he did it, but the point is he remembered. He knew what I wanted to eat, and he got it for me."

"You had already eaten Donatello's for lunch!"

"I know that!" Kara exclaimed back. "But I don't want him to know that. How can I explain to him that I had lunch with my sister, a thousand miles away, and still made it back in time to have dinner with him?"

"Alright, alright, don't get snippy."

Kara sighed. "I really like him, Alex. He's a great guy. He's so sweet, and driven, and cute. I really want you to meet him."

"I'd love to, if I wasn't so busy trying to track down that red blur you danced with today," Alex said, exasperated.

"Any leads?"

"All we know," Alex explained, "is that he showed up a while ago in Central City, after that particle accelerator explosion, and other than today, he's stayed in that area."

"Well, he's not exactly a criminal. Unless you want to write him a speeding ticket."

"Cute."

"I try," Kara yawned. "I'm tired. I'm going to bed. You should too."

"I'll sleep when I'm dead."

"Keep it up, and that'll be soon."

"Mmhmm. Goodnight."

"G'night," whispered Kara.

 **Thank you so much for reading! I've been stuck on this chapter for so long, and I'm so excited to have finished it. If you like this, please comment. I will definitely try to update more frequently if I hear that people want more! Thanks again!**


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